SuperLega
Sir Susa Scai Perugia are preparing to defend the Del Monte Super Cup, with Itas Trentino awaiting them in the first semi-final at Parma’s PalaRaschi on Saturday, 14 November at 15:30. The teams meet again only six days after Perugia’s five-set league win in Trento, but this time a place in the final will be decided in a one-off match.
Perugia have appeared in ten successive editions of the competition since 2016/17 and have won it seven times. Oleh Plotnytskyi travels to Parma after an MVP performance against Trento in which he scored 22 points, including four aces and one block, while attacking at 81 per cent. The outside hitter said Perugia had worked on the areas that still needed improvement and expected a more even contest. "We are going there to earn a place in the final. The important thing is that we arrive in good shape and are ready to play every point against a very strong team," he said.
Verona Volley, meanwhile, have issued updates on two injured players. A problem with the popliteus muscle has slowed Micah Christenson’s recovery after surgery in the United States. The setter is being monitored by the club’s medical and physiotherapy staff and is following an individual programme, with the process expected to take several more weeks. Lorenzo Cortesia, who has been out since suffering an injury at an Italy training camp in August, could rejoin group work over the same period.
Italian Transfer News
Arina Fedorovtseva has added fresh momentum to reports linking her with Vero Volley Milano. The Fenerbahçe outside hitter posted photographs from central Milan and Via Montenapoleone on Instagram while speculation continues about a possible move next season. Reports suggest an agreement may already have been reached, but no transfer has been confirmed: the only established fact is that Fedorovtseva was in the city.
Abroad
Montpellier and Mulhouse collected the French Super Cups in Nancy. Montpellier swept Paris Volley 3-0 (25-21, 32-30, 25-23) to win the men’s trophy for the third time, following their successes in 2022 and 2024. The result offered an important lift after a difficult start to the league season, in which the French champions had won only one of their first five matches. Two-time Olympic champion Nicolas Le Goff was named MVP after scoring 11 points, including four blocks.
Mulhouse retained the women’s trophy and claimed the fifth Super Cup in club history with a 3-1 victory over Vandoeuvre Nancy (25-16, 20-25, 25-20, 25-18). The hosts had arrived unbeaten through six league matches and were backed by much of the sold-out crowd of 5,480, but Mulhouse regained control after dropping the second set. Nesrine Abda received the MVP award.
Italian Volleyball
Italy women’s head coach Julio Velasco has received an honorary master’s degree in philosophy from the University of Macerata. The ceremony took place at the Teatro Lauro Rossi on 11 November, on a day that also included the opening of the university’s new sports centre. Its main hall covers 955 square metres, can stage national-level volleyball, basketball and futsal, and has a 302-seat stand.
The honour carried particular personal meaning for Velasco. He was only a few examinations short of completing his philosophy degree in Argentina when the 1976 military coup forced him to leave the country because of his student activism. He said the discipline had shaped both his life and his work, especially his habit of analysing contrasting ideas. "Philosophy has left a mark that I apply many times," he explained, recalling Jorge Luis Borges’s view that culture is what remains after information has been forgotten.
At Milan’s Centro Pavesi, teachers representing five schools and nine courses of study met the Club Italia players and staff on the evening of 11 November. The visit combined a training session, a guided tour and a discussion with the squad. Head coach Juan Cichello underlined that the young players’ commitment to their education remains a priority alongside their sporting development.
